From: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org (harbinger-digest) To: harbinger-digest@smoe.org Subject: harbinger-digest V5 #76 Reply-To: harbinger@smoe.org Sender: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk harbinger-digest Friday, April 21 2000 Volume 05 : Number 076 HARBINGER DIGEST To post, mail harbinger@smoe.org To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger-digest To get list info file, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: info harbinger-digest Today's Subjects: ---------------- (harbinger) Re:"Is "Be Somebody"...?" I doubt it! [Kara & Tina ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 01:21:42 -0400 From: Kara & Tina Subject: (harbinger) Re:"Is "Be Somebody"...?" I doubt it! Hello everyone! I have to agree with Kenn on this one. I don't think Amen. is going to go anywhere. If it does, it'll be a pleasant surprise, but I doubt it. Part of the problem (and part of the reason for Paula switching managers) is that when Amen. first came out, and IBIL was released, they were given to a certain agency that would then distribute them to radio. (Apparently, there are a few of these agencies out there, and record companies send them the singles and let them/pay them to distribute them to radio stations instead of worrying about getting them all out there to all the right stations. For example, there is a separate agency for Country, one for Gospel, one for Top-40, one for Alternative, etc.) Well, instead of giving "first dibs" to the agency Paula's management had used in the past (the agency that would deal with the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Tara MacLean, Aimee Mann, Beth Orton, Jann Arden, etc); her management decided that based upon the popular success of Cowboys and IDWTW, they would give 'first dibs' to the Top-40 agency!!! OOPS!!!!! MAJOR OOPS. The agency felt extremely slighted, and therefore, so did many of the radio stations it represents. I guess you could say that Paula was a bit 'black-listed' because of this. There was a pretty major backlash in Paula's direction, and a BIG part of her new manager's job is going to be (or probably already is) some major butt-kissing! Of course, we can sit here and think "any moron could have known Amen. was not Top-40-radio station material (I mean, can you REALLY hear 'Be Somebody' following Brittney Spears?!?!)", but mistakes are made, as we are all human, and so we are left to wait and see what will happen. This doesn't explain VH1 and Mtv's lack of airplay... unless it's all somehow connected... who knows? It's a shame that so much of this business is politics instead of talent.... it used to be that DJ's and VJ's had some say in what they'd play... now they really are just 'jockeys' along for the ride! I actually heard the song "Amen" on my 'lots of women's-music-playin' radio station ONCE! Any other time they play her it's IDWTW. I haven't heard "Amen" since then, or any other other song from Amen. for that matter. And what about the single choices? I guess if Paula wants a message out there rather than a song with actual single qualities, "Be Somebody" makes sense. I just don't think it's very radio-friendly. Even "Amen" is more radio-friendly. And Paula did say that for her to continue touring as much as she'd like, "Be Somebody" has to do something. I, for one, am worried. Peace and Love, Kara---<--<{@ - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 04:13:41 EDT From: Fumbler310@aol.com Subject: (harbinger) the state of "Amen", the Be Somebody Single and more Sitting here at 4am reading Kenn's post (while listening to Amen)....all i can say is, what a waste. Radio is currently being bombarded by tons of music that isn't fit for listening (ex. Britney Spears and her clones, the Backstreet Boys and their clones, Korn and their clones) while acts like Tori Amos, Liz Phair, and now Paula, get no airplay. While Amen isnt the greatest thing to hit shelves, it is dynamic and has a few jems (Pearl, I Believe In Love). Its ludacrist that radio and Music TV is so conditioned to play the newest "trend" music, that they will do little or nothing to go out of their way to introduce something new and different to the mainstream. Now, on Amen, i doubt it will pick up any momentum. However, if Paula tours over the course of the next year, i guarentee the venues will be 1/2 full or more. Although the album was a commercial flop, her live performace is more incredible then ever. And its a gift for us that Amen didnt go over big, because now we get a chance to see Paula in more intimate venues. As for Be Somebody, i think this was a poor choice of a song to even consider as a single. Its mid-tempo and a little drab. You'd have to listen to it more then 3 times to get any sort of message from it, and to be frank, i think its barely worthy of play on Easy Listening stations. Don't get me wrong, i like the song, but with I Believe in Love flopping so horribly on the airwaves, why didnt Paula and co. choose a more powerful song to promote, such as Pearl? I think another bad mistake Paula made was to exclude the amazing songs which turned out to be the Amen B-Sides. Ringfinger is one of the most emotional and amazing songs i've heard in a long time. Billy Joe is empowered. Night is amazingly introspective. Instead of including these incredible songs on Amen, we're served up 9 tracks, one of which was written over 8 years ago (Free) and another which was a re-recorded song (Swannee Joe - which actualy is one of the albums strongest songs). Why would Paula decide to hide away these diamonds? I think that Be Somebody will be released, but will be ignored in much the same way IBIL was. Unfortunately, there are no club remixes of Be Somebody to breathe new life into the track. I'll say this for those mixes, they're introducing Paula to a whole new crowd of listeners who may eventually help Amen go Gold....maybe. As we speak, one of the most listened to FM radio stations in New York (WKTU) spins a shortened version of the IBIL remix 5 times a day. SO don't give up all hope. I think that all that Paula must be going threw will end up to her advantage. When she gets back in the studio, hopefully she'll try NOT to create a radio-friendly record, but to tap in to the raw emotion delivered on This Fire, and hopefully she wont serve up comatose versions of songs that have the potential to be powerful and fierce, which for some reason she did with the songs on Amen. Do you think that if Paula had recorded the Amen tracks more like the way her and the band play them live, the album would have been more likable? The pure electricity which resonates when she performs God Is Watching, Pearl and Amen live is INSANE when compared to the record. Well, this has just been my $0.02. ~ Steve - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 09:19:42 EDT From: MLevine171@aol.com Subject: (harbinger) Re: harbinger-digest V5 #75 I totally agree! It's sad that this album didn't do well, but I can see why. With This Fire and Harbinger, I've played them tons of times, and still do, but Amen is tucked away in my closet, and I hardly listen to it. It's not a bad album, but I can't relate to it as much as the others. The songs sound too cheesy or non-realistic, I guess. Not that they're bad, but they just do. It's ok to have a happy song...but with her, she's known for being honest about herself, which makes her songs angry or sad, and that's why most of us love her. A similar thing happened with Alanis' last album though. It wasn't angry, and some fans were like "WHERE IS ANGRY ALANIS? I WANT ANGRY SONGS!" Most of us true fans believe that the last album was maybe better than Jagged Little Pill. It was very introspective, and more musically mature than the last. However, Thank U was released....it did fairly well. Then a couple months later Unsent was released. Unsent..if u haven't heard is a folky little song about ex bfs..but it hit the radio...was played a couple times..the vid was played on VH1 a lot, but hardly on MTV. This whole time Alanis had a worldwide tour going on, yet critics were saying she didn't sell any albums..but that was only compared to the last album, since she sold a lot with this too. THen she had the first ever music vid release OVER aol which was so pure. So Pure was a fast catchy song, that us fans thought would get the album going finally.. It was hardly played at all. The vid was played a little on VH1, and it disappeared. Then Alanis went on tour with Tori Amos...and finished...toured a little..released Alanis MTV UNplugged, and released another single- that I would be good, but the unplugged version, It's still a song on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie..and maybe it would pick up the other album. It was hardly played.....Alanis stopped touring in December...then came back to do the "Vagina Monologues" off broadway play in NYC...then stopped..and it's present time now. Now considering that every single released off of the "first" album- Jagged Little Pill got awards, and was played over and over on the radio...this album's songs that were supposed to be hits, never went anywhere...The same thing happened with Paula...she had so many hits from the last album, and this album....no matter how much u beat the hell outta the album to get it to be big, it won't. It's not Paula...it's just that the music out there changes SOO rapidly out there, that unfortunately Paula is forgotten. Have any of u listened to the radio out there lately? Even back when Paula was out in 97 there still were good songs played, but right now ALL that's played r these phony singers like Britney Spears, and mandy moore, etc etc etc..and the same with the bands and male singers..all choreographed, and fake. U go to the record stores, and it's the same thing. tons of good artists coming out with cds, overlapped by all this fake stuff. There used to be good singers that would come out, and I'd be amazed and run out to buy the album, but I dont think I've found a new great singer in a few years. I dont even watch MTV anymore or turn on the radio. Will it ever change though? Will there ever be talented singers or bands again? I hope so. Well..that's it. steve - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 19:22:47 -0400 From: "K.C." Subject: (harbinger) Kenn C. On How Life Is ;) Steve wrote: >> It's not Paula...it's just that the music out there changes SOO rapidly out >> there, that unfortunately Paula is forgotten. Have any of u listened to the >> radio out there lately? I think that's only partially true. I mean, sure, Paula is up against the onslaught of vacuous pop we're all wading through right now, but so is every other legitimate musician out there who is either trying to get their big break or just hold their own in the industry. I would ask you this...if the onus of responsibility for Amen's commercial failure doesn't fall squarely on Paula's shoulders and those of her management, then where does that burden lie? Christina Aguilera and the Backstreet Boys aren't responsible for all the balls that have been dropped by Paula and her people since Amen was released. Don't get me wrong... I'm not talking about blame. There's no need for blaming anyone. We aren't truly the ones suffering from Amen's failure. But someone (maybe more than one someone) is going to have to own up to his/her role in this flop. Personally, I feel that accountability has to go back to Paula herself (first and foremost) and then to the people she has personally chosen to represent her and assist in the management of her career. It might be the Paula Cole Band now, but we all know who's really running that show. No big moves are made in PC's career unless she OKs it. She has said herself as recently as BTM2 that she's a control freak. And Kevin and Jay have both echoed those sentiments in their own diplomatic ways. Y'know I just don't think fans should be willing to throw roses at Paula's feet for her well-deserved successes and then be reticent about seeing a situation like this - where she has fucked up somehow - in a realistic light. Hell, she's not perfect and neither are we, so it's OK to comment on her entirely human pratfalls. It's not condemning her or betraying her. It's just observing her career. If a fan doesn't talk about the bad just as honestly as he/she talks about the good, then that fan turns into nothing more than some myopic sycophant who will follow Paula to the ends of the earth (or at least to every show and maybe even backstage) even if she's churning out substandard material. I always think of the children's story "The Emperor's New Clothes" when I see fans who fall into that behavior. Anyway, I do feel that Paula can look to herself for much of the failure of this album, even if it's only through indirect responsibility. And, as far as the artistic qualities of Amen., she only has herself to blame or congratulate. There's no one she can finger for that - she wrote and produced it. Fans and critics don't matter much in that regard. As long as she's happy with the work she did, then to hell with what the rest of us think. As I've said before, an artist doesn't have to produce work WE like; she only has to produce work SHE likes. That's art in its purest form. The only time our opinion matters is when the artist is trying to make a few bucks from her art. >> Have any of u listened to the radio out there lately? Even back when Paula >> was out in 97 there still were good songs played, but right now ALL that's >> played r these phony singers like Britney Spears, and mandy moore, etc etc >> etc..and the same with the bands and male singers..all choreographed, and >> fake. It's true. I can't abide this trend. It reminds me of the crap that came out in the very early 80s and in early 90s. The early 90s stuff was especially bad ... remember "I Wanna Sex You Up" from Color Me Badd? And "I Touch Myself" by DiVinyls? Or "Rumpshaker" by Teddy Riley? Ugh. That's what this shit is like. Hopefully, this trend will end as quickly as those others did. I think there's still room for responsible, credible musicians in the marketplace and those who have a good product will still be financially and critically successful. Some people are saying "Yeah, it was Lilith backlash and it was the proliferation of mindless synth bubblegum pop that stopped Amen. dead in its tracks. There was no room on the airwaves for an adult alternative soul singer." But then how do they explain the recent successes of folk/blues musician, Susan Tedeschi, and that alternative country girl, Jo Dee Messina? Both women easily could have been included in that Lilith genre (maybe they were, I don't know really) and yet just two months ago we saw Tedeschi nominated for a best new artist Grammy and last year Jo Dee Messina made a big sweep at the Boston Music Awards. And what about Diana Krall who is really making a name for herself in the jazz field (she was nominated for album of the year at the Grammys, by the way). Great music will almost always receive critical acclaim even if it doesn't get a lot of airplay or go double platinum. Jen Trynin's "Gun Shy Trigger Happy" fell flat on its face on the charts, but the critics hailed it as one of the best albums out that year. I'm still listening to that album today and it's one of the few in my collection that I can say I love as a whole. There's not one song on it that I don't absolutely love. I can't even say that about any of Paula's albums. "Gun Shy Trigger Happy" is just a brilliant piece of work and almost no one knows anything about it. And what's Jen doing these days? She just emailed me the other day and said she's been taking time off to pursue some academic studies and to do some more writing. (Some of you might recall that Jen is one of Paula's WB labelmates who opened for PC on the This Fire tour.) Hopefully she's going to go back to music someday soon. >> I dont even watch MTV anymore or turn on the radio. Will it ever change >> though? Will there ever be talented singers or bands again? It'll change. The other day, I was trying to think of the influences that today's young fans had to use as an early point of reference when it came to entertainment. I had to think back to what my nieces and nephews who are now in their late teens/early 20s were into when they were little kids in the early 80s. You know what I came up with? Teenage Mutant Turtles. Strawberry Shortcake. The Smurfs. Not exactly my idea of high art. So it hardly comes as a surprise that those same kids are now licking up mindless blather from the likes of self-reported rocket scientists like Hoku. The young fans were spoonfed crap from an early age and they still aren't old enough to know the difference between the good and the heinous. I'm just waiting to see what happens to the music scene when all the kids who were youngsters during the days of grunge and gangster rap come of age. That's still another 10 or 15 years off, so I suppose we have time to arm ourselves. ;) Kenn - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ End of harbinger-digest V5 #76 ******************************